Woodside Power has secured an settlement with the standard house owners of land on which it plans to construct the primary 50 MW stage of a possible 500 MW solar energy plant within the Pilbara area of Western Australia.
From pv journal Australia
In January 2022, Australian fossil fuels big Woodside Power revealed plans to construct a 500 MW photo voltaic facility and 400 MWh battery vitality storage system close to Karratha, in Western Australia’s northwest, to assist energy its Pluto liquefied pure fuel (LNG) export facility. Now an settlement with the Ngarluma Aboriginal Company (NAC) secures the land on which to construct the primary 50 MW photo voltaic undertaking and related battery system.
Woodside stated it has entered right into a bilateral Indigenous Land Use Settlement and an settlement with the NAC. The settlement pertains to lands being investigated for the proposed Woodside Energy Venture to be constructed at Maitland, about 15 kilometers southwest of Karratha.
The preliminary undertaking contains a 50 MW photo voltaic vitality plant complemented by a battery vitality storage system however Woodside stated there’s potential to increase the ability alternative to a most of 500 MW if buyer demand warrants it.
The undertaking will provide renewable vitality to industrial prospects within the area, together with its personal Pluto LNG export facility. All transmission of energy from the photo voltaic facility is to be delivered by way of the Horizon Energy-operated part of the North West Interconnected System to its prospects.
Woodside stated it has progressed environmental research for the undertaking and submitted a referral to the Environmental Safety Authority in Nov. 2021. The corporate stated it’s persevering with to work with most well-liked builders, Pacific Power Group and Horizon Energy, on improvement of the photo voltaic, battery vitality storage system and transmission infrastructure required for the undertaking.
Woodside Chief Govt Meg O’Neill stated the settlement with the NAC will permit the undertaking to progress.
“Now we have been partaking with NAC concerning the ability alternative since 2019 and the agreements are a big milestone to have fun collectively,” she stated. “We stay up for persevering with to work with NAC and Ngarluma folks as we progress the ability alternative.”
The agreements set out a framework for the supply of social and financial advantages to NAC and Ngarluma folks in reference to the ability alternative, and description how Woodside and NAC will work collectively to develop the ability alternative, together with the administration of cultural heritage.
The deal comes on the again of Woodside’s profitable proposal to ship a 600 MW inexperienced hydrogen megaproject in New Zealand.
Woodside is definitely not alone on the subject of photo voltaic uptake within the Pilbara. Rio Tinto just lately introduced plans to take a position AUD 600 million ($402 million) within the building of two new photo voltaic farms and battery vitality storage methods as a part of its efforts to decarbonize operations within the Pilbara.
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